


the most beautiful time of the year

by showhyuks



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas Eve, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 15:50:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8923147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/showhyuks/pseuds/showhyuks
Summary: It's all about sweaters, Christmas songs, coffee gone cold, and their stories together. Just like every single year.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [blancsetnoirsr1](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/blancsetnoirsr1) collection. 



> What's a ficfest without me passing my entry with extended extended _extended_ deadlines, but anywhooooo, here it is. My second entry to Blancs et Noirs.  
>  Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's first round, hopefully we see you again in round two!

To the tune of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas playing in the background, Minhyuk sits down in front of the living room window with his old blue scarf around his neck and a cup of warm coffee in his hands to keep himself warm. Christmas this year is colder, it seems, but Minhyuk won't let it affect the most beautiful day of the year.

 

It's snowing, just like how it's been for the past four years in their humble little home, and Minhyuk wonders if the heater will ever work again or if he has to sleep in the couch for the remaining days of winter just before spring comes. He heaves a heavy sigh but his heart is lighter than it has ever been for the past few weeks. He looks at Hyunwoo just across him, holding his own cup of coffee, and Minhyuk starts.

 

"It's this time of the year again, where we'll be singing to countless Christmas songs until the clock hits twelve. But this year, I'll be taking the lead to sing before it's officially Christmas day." Minhyuk looks back outside the window to watch the snow slowly fall from the dark, cloudy sky. "And you'll just watch your boyfriend sing his heart out to Jingle Bell Rock because it's the song that suits me the most."

 

Hyunwoo's not much of a talker anyway so Minhyuk continues. "Your singing definitely reminds me of Homecoming years ago. It was probably the cutest thing ever, next to that time you asked me out with the swim team helping you from behind. In their swimming trunks." Minhyuk laughs, "but yes, who knew you had feelings for me too, right? I mean, I've always liked you ever since, but you liking me was a big surprise. Like how you always manage to surprise me every single damn time."

 

_**Homecoming, 7 years ago** _

_Minhyuk still can't believe he's going to Homecoming with the boy of his dreams, Son Hyunwoo, who just asked him out weeks before without any hint at all. He had always harbored a small crush on the swim team captain, but little did he know the captain also liked him back._

_But that night drags on and Hyunwoo almost becomes the sole singer for the whole event. Minhyuk is left alone in their table, drinking away his loneliness with a couple of his friends. He tries to laugh with them, but they all see how his smiles never reach his eyes. Minhyuk shifts and he faces the stage to watch his date sing in front of everyone. He looked great up in the stage with the band, but Minhyuk wishes they'd have at least one dance before the night ends._

_As he imagines how romantic one dance will be, their eyes finally meet just as Hyunwoo sings the words _You're my end and my beginning_ , and Minhyuk drinks another shot after, giving Hyunwoo his most genuine yet saddest smile._

_Hyunwoo then steps down the stage, feeling braver than ever after seeing the sadness in Minhyuk's eyes, and he quickly pulls him to the dance floor, holding Minhyuk's hand firm on his waist while using his free hand to hold the microphone as he continues on singing._

_"'Cause I give you all of me," Hyunwoo tucks in Minhyuk's head under his chin, swaying to the slow beat of the song and not giving a fuck to everyone around them, "...and you give me all of you."_

_Minhyuk can't help but tear up a bit with what Hyunwoo just did, but his chest suddenly feels lighter and he hugs Hyunwoo closer, inhaling his scent and storing it at the back of his mind._

 

Minhyuk sips on his hot coffee, pulling the sleeves of his sweater up as he puts down the cup on their table. He's already blabbering so he buries his face in his hands, knowing that Hyunwoo's gone worried already about how he's acting but he continues. "Homecoming went by like a blur and a year later, your graduation day finally came and I almost couldn't believe what I'm seeing with my own eyes. You went up the stage with the biggest smile I've ever seen and I was the proudest person in that room. Although, you ruined it with those baggy pants under the suit, but nevertheless, you were still as handsome as ever."

 

Hyunwoo's smile never leaves his face and Minhyuk knows he's growing fonder than ever. It's an unspoken tradition of the two of them to reminisce their past over a cup of coffee just before it hits Christmas, and it's the same for this year, like in the past. It has always been their thing where Minhyuk speaks for hours and Hyunwoo patiently listens while nodding and smiling and then he kisses Minhyuk after to shut him up before he ends up either continuing with the story or they end up in bed with tangled limbs under the sheets.

 

(It's always the latter that happens, but this Christmas is different. Minhyuk continues on with their stories.) He looks up and stares outside again, letting his fingers wrap itself around the cup of coffee but he never lifts it up.

 

_**Graduation day, 6 years ago** _

_Hyunwoo goes up the stage to get his diploma and his family members are all cheering for him in the back row with all the other parents and families of the graduating students, but his eyes land on Minhyuk's own. He's about to make his speech for graduating on top of his class, but he feels like he owes it all to the love of his life who never stopped believing in him._

_"I love you." He mouths and Minhyuk nods. Minhyuk has to wait another year before he can move away from university with Hyunwoo, but it gives him the drive to do better so he can quickly follow Hyunwoo wherever he goes._

_"I love you more." Minhyuk cheekily replies before sending Hyunwoo a flying kiss, to which the latter receives by catching it with his hand and proudly showing his fist to everyone._

_He ends his graduation speech with the usual thanks to his family members, friends, teachers, and everyone who helped him achieve his dreams, but he makes it a point to thank Minhyuk the last._

_"To the one who owns my heart, I owe all of this and all my happiness to you. Someday, we'll look back at this moment and I bet we're still together and we're gonna laugh because we will remember the horrible pants I'm wearing right now. But for now, what matters is we are a step closer to reaching our dreams with each other. I love you."_

 

"And just like that, you ruined your perfect four-year run with those shitty pants." Minhyuk jokingly comments, wiping the nonexistent tears from his face. The coffee slowly loses its warmth and Minhyuk ditches it for the pockets of his sweater, remembering how Hyunwoo had given it as a gift during the first Christmas they spent together.

 

"Remember this sweater? You gave this to me back then when we just started living together. You were even singing the same song playing in the background right now. _Have yourself a merry little Christmas_." Minhyuk sing-songs. "Every Christmas would be the same; we'd make the same old coffee with our faulty coffee machine, we'll wait for the neighborhood kids to start singing Christmas carols to lift up everyone's spirits, and then we'll head to bed with smiles in our faces, with you humming to this song as we sleep and wait for the mornin to come, like the year was as perfect as it should've been. Funny how this year, it wasn't near perfect at all."

 

Hyunwoo had always loved swimming; it was probably the second thing he loved the most next to Minhyuk. He was the swim team captain back in the day, he had a swimming scholarship for all his college years, and he especially alloted a huge space of their backyard for a mini pool for the kids they were planning to adopt once he and Minhyuk were ready.

 

It's ironic how he loved swimming at sea the most, but the sea was relentless in taking him away from everyone who loved him.

 

Minhyuk included.

 

"You told me you can do it. You told me the storm was nothing to your swimming skills. You promised me we'd be together until the end."

 

Minhyuk hates how Christmas reminds him of Hyunwoo. How the holiday season crushes him to his wits, reminding him of how he's now alone, listening to Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas for hours because it was what Hyunwoo loved singing every year during Christmas eve. "I miss you a lot, you know?" Minhyuk smiles. "It's been exactly four months, three days, and sixteen hours since you left us. All I have is some old photo of us four years ago, during our first Christmas together, with our faces squished together, our cups of coffee in our hands, and this old sweater of mine around my shoulders."

 

A framed photo of the two of them is sitting across Minhyuk and he pretends like it's Hyunwoo in front of him, watching the snow fall from the sky as well. It somehow eases the pain seeing Hyunwoo's smile like that, but nothing compares to the real thing. Nothing ever will.

 

Minhyuk lets a tear slip. He's just tired, plain tired of everything, but telling all their stories like how he used to when they still spent Christmas together lifts off some of the uneasy feeling in his chest, just like that time Hyunwoo danced with him for the first time at Homecoming. He shouldn't be tearing up, no, not when he promised Hyunwoo he would never cry anymore. But the stories are too beautiful to be retold without the person he created them with.

 

The remaining coffee in the table goes cold, the stereo eventually stops and so does the music which accompanied him before. He hums.

 

 _Through the years we all will be together_  
_And if the fates allow_  
_Hang a shining star upon the highest bough  
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now_

 

If he focuses enough, he can still hear Hyunwoo humming with him somewhere. He looks up in the sky and silently thanks him for everything he's done.

 

"Merry Christmas, babe. I miss you."

 

And after every story has been told, after his cup of coffee is thrown in the kitchen sink, after he turns off the Christmas lights and he starts to hear the kids singing outside in joy of the holidays, he goes to bed thinking that wishing Hyunwoo a Merry Christmas this year isn't as hard as he thought it would be.

**Author's Note:**

> Hahahaha so I basically did not tag character death because Hyunwoo's already...dead. You know me.  
> Anyway, kudos and comments are very much appreciated, like the usual. Bricks are welcomed, but try to throw snowballs instead.  
> I'm always on Twitter if you need me. Just [hit me up](http://twitter.com/alwayshowhyuk).
> 
> Hope you all have great holidays ahead! It has been a wonderful year with you guys, so see you again next year, and cheers to more wonderful ShowHyuk and MONSTA X fics!


End file.
